Safari Anyone?

muenginerd

Did anyone look into Safari for their honeymoon.  FI and I started talking about ours and we both really kind of like the idea.  I'm concerned with how long it will take to get there (we are in the midwest).  We both are still only at 2 weeks vacation at work so to take alot of time off will be kind of difficult. 

Anybody go or look into it?  How long was your trip?  Where did you go?

Jells2dot0

Try posting this on the Nest Travel board. I believe a few ladies over there have been. Safaris tend to be quite expensive, so you won't get as many responses on here as you would for a place like Hawaii or Mexico. That being said, I did the journey from Phoenix to Maurtius and the Seychelles, which are typical safari add-ons. So, if you are planning on doing some beach time while on safari, I may be able to help with those two destinations. Also, depending no your budget, it might not be worth the trek over there, so if you have an idea of what you would like to spend, that would help most people understand. The flights are ridiculously expensive and can eat up most of a person's budget.

Swazzle

I went to South Africa for my HM. I live in NJ and the flight was about 16 hours from NYC. Our trip was 10 days total (we left the Monday after our wedding and returned the following Wednesday). We spent 4 nights in Cape Town and 3 nights on a safari at a private game reserve in Kruger National Park. It was hands down the best trip of my life and I don't think any other vacation will compare (this trip was at the top of my bucket list). It was really, really incredible. 

I posted pics on a thread elsewhere on TK when I got back, if you're interested here's the link:

http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/976927/my-south-african-honeymoon-extremely-heavy-pip/p1

Lored

We are going to South Africa for our honeymoon in January. We are super super excited. Like PP said, it's definitely a long trip. We are doing 12 days. I don't think it's really worth it if you can only do like a week or so. Long flight plus jet lag. I expect we will be exhausted the first day or two. We are going on safari and then spending a few days relaxing at the end in the winelands. PM me if you want the name of our travel agent.

girlinchicago

We didn't go for our hm, but H and I just returned from an anniversary trip to South Africa and the Seychelles. Because of the long flights, we spent as long as we could there. Our itinerary was 5 nights in Cape Town, a week in the Seychelles, and 4 nights on safari. If you can do 10+ nights there, that would be best since you're traveling so far. Happy to answer any questions!

Jells2dot0

girlinchicago said:

We didn't go for our hm, but H and I just returned from an anniversary trip to South Africa and the Seychelles. Because of the long flights, we spent as long as we could there. Our itinerary was 5 nights in Cape Town, a week in the Seychelles, and 4 nights on safari. If you can do 10+ nights there, that would be best since you're traveling so far. Happy to answer any questions!

I didn't realize you had booked that trip! Def want to hear about the Seychelles!

girlinchicago

@Jells - It was great! I'm so glad we stayed on Praslin at Raffles. We did a few excursions, but we seriously loved hanging out by the Raffles pool/beach just as much if not more. Our favorite day was the one we spent on La Digue. The island is so cute and it was fun riding bikes around and exploring the beaches. Anse Source d'Argent was gorgeous. The hardest part was getting over the sticker shock - $16 for a 1L bottle of water? Yikes...

Jells2dot0

@girl- SO glad that Raffles worked out for you! I contacted them about staying there when we went, but they weren't quite up and running. After hearing your feedback, we'll definitely stay there when we can get back there (hopefully sooner, rather than later!)

SAweddinggirl

Not going for honeymoon, but I just went to South Africa for a bat mitzvah celebration and it was amazing!!!!  I spent 9 days in Cape Town and then spent 4 days on a reserve, Kapama, which I loved.  We spent a night in Johannesburg before and after the Safari as a little transition.  It is a lot of travel, but very worth it! Remember to keep in mind that the seasons are opposite!  We went in December so it was summer and beautiful there.  Keep that in mind to consider season you will be visiting.

 I have also heard amazing things about Kenya.

anssett

I went for a 4 day safari in the Tsavo parks in Kenya. I was in the country for a few weeks for work and squeezed that in. AMAZING. I saw a lioness <10 feet away. AMAZING. I definitely intend to go on more safaris in the future. The flights are brutal, though. It took >48 hours total to get there (from Seattle) and I ended up with a 24 hr layover in Amsterdam (fun, but overall pretty tiring flight path). Choose your flights wisely.